Free Falling
by KitKat12323
Summary: "When you jump off, you're suspended in mid air for a moment. Then, gravity pulls you down. I like to keep my eyes open as the still blue water comes rushing towards me. The moment the tips of my fingers touch the surface, the water parts and ripples. Diving has always felt like free falling. I feel free in that moment." Full summary inside. (Makoto/OC)


**Free Falling**

**Summary: **Fujishiro Haruka, Ruka, lives with her cousin's parents; her cousin being Mikoshiba Seijuro, captain of Samezuka Academy's swim team. The once top diver refuses to ever dive again and instead joins the track team at Iwatobi High School. Yet, she can't seem to avoid the water or a group of boys on the new swim team, especially the green eyed one.

**Hello and welcome to my first Free! fanfic. I'm super excited to try a different anime and new characters. I hope you like my OC and the storyline. The story will vaguely follow the anime timeline. The story starts at episode 3.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the anime Free!**

* * *

A sixteen year old girl with golden eyes glanced around the airport terminal. She saw only unfamiliar faces. She gripped her duffle bag tightly; three large suitcases were placed in front of her. Fujishiro Haruka, though she prefered to be called Ruka, blew a few tufts of white blond hair from her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. Her tanned cheeks puffed out.

"Where could they be," she mumbled. A flash of red caught her eye. The red belonged to a tall, tan boy's head. His golden eyes were the same as hers. When he saw her, he grinned and waved enthusiastically.

"Haruka-kun!" The blond girl smiled as she remembered him as being her older cousin that she played games with when they were younger. Her smile fell a bit when she registered the name he had just called her.

Mikoshiba Seijuro rushed over to greet her. When he was near enough, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her into a bone crushing hug. Ruka, in vain, tried to push him away as he was crushing her lungs.

She gasped. "S-sei-...crushing...need air!" The redhead quickly let her go. Ruka sucked in a large, grateful gulp of air. He was still grinning and his eyes sparkled with excitement.

"It's been so long since I last saw you, Haruka-kun! I'm so glad you're going to be staying with my family."

"My name is Ruka and I'm a girl so no kun! We saw each other four years ago. I didn't know you missed me that much," she teased with a growing smile. Seijuro just grinned at her before messing up her short hair.

"Of course I missed my favorite cousin."

Ruka batted his hand away with a laugh. "I'm your only cousin!"

Seijuro grinned at her cheekily. "Even if you weren't, you'd be my favorite just like I'd be yours."

"I don't know, Sei-kun. If I had other cousins, I think I'd like them more," she said with a serious expression. The redhead gave her a dejected look and Ruka couldn't stop her laughter before hugging him again.

"I kid. Of course you'd be my favorite cousin. Where's Auntie and Uncle by the way?" The blond looked around for them.

Pointing ahead of them, he said, "They're coming. I might have accidentally left them behind in my excitement."

"Ruka, you've turned into such a lovely young lady," Mrs. Mikoshiba said as the older couple neared the teens. Ruka gave them each a warm hug. Mikoshiba Ai had the same red hair as Seijuro with navy eyes. Her husband, Mikoshiba Daichi, had dark black hair and golden eyes.

"It's great to see you again, Auntie and Uncle." Mr. Mikoshiba patted her head and then seemed to look between his niece and son.

"My, you've gotten taller as well." Ruka stood a good five feet and nine and a half inches tall. She had a willowy figure with long arms and legs. She looked at her cousin and pouted as she noted that he was still taller than her.

"Sei-kun beats me still in the height category," she mused. Seijuro patted her head sympathetically, but still had a teasing grin on his face.

"Let's get you home. I'm sure you're starved," Mrs. Mikoshiba suggested. Ruka nodded and tossed her duffle bag on top of one of the suitcases and started to wheel it. Seijuro and his father took the other two suitcases.

-:-

Ruka was given Seijuro's old room since he lived at his boarding school. She had thrown all her clothes and other necessities into the closet and draw. She had found out that Seijuro's older sister was working in a different part of Japan and came home every so often. It would be just her and Seijuro's parents.

Ruka and the rest of the family were sitting around the table. Seijuro had been asking her questions about her life since she had last visited. The family laughed and talked as if she had always been there.

"Why'd you stop writing to me two years ago," the redhead complained. Ruka chuckled at his childish pout.

"I've been busy," came her simple reply.

"Are you still diving, dear?" Mr. Mikoshiba asked. Ruka paused mid-bite. A dark look passed over her face before she schooled her expression into a small smile.

"I don't do diving anymore. I'm thinking of joining the track team at my new school," she said slowly.

Seijuro had a shocked expression on his face. He could recall his cousin wanting to swim every day whenever they were together. She had even expressed her interest of becoming a professional diver back when she was twelve.

"Eh! Why not, Haruka-kun! You're an amazing diver and a decent swimmer."

Ruka popped a piece of beef in her mouth. "It's Ruka, Sei-kun," she said between bites. "I just want to try something new. I don't think the water is for me anymore. Plus, I'm a good runner."

"B-but you said you wanted to become a professional diver. What happened-"

Ruka slammed her tea cup on the table. Her gold eyes flashed in anger. "That was a long time ago, Seijuro. I've grown up and realized how silly and stupid that dream was. I can do whatever sport I want and you have no say. Stop questioning me!"

Silence filled the room. Everyone had stopped eating and they were staring at her in shock. Ruka felt her face grow warm with shame. She ducked her head and quickly shoved the food in her mouth. Once she cleaned her bowl, she stood up.

"I-I'm going to bed. I have school tomorrow and might as well get some sleep. Thank you for the meal, Auntie. Good night." She bowed and made a quick exit. Ruka ran to Seij-her room and shut the door closed. She leaned against the hardwood frame and sighed.

"Haruka?" Seijuro stood on the other side. Ruka stiffened and wondered if he would come in. Instead he tapped lightly on the frame of the door. He had followed her up to her room.

Swallowing her nerves, she opened the door open. "What's up, Seijuro?" she asked with a fake smile. The redhead frowned at her fake cheeriness. Though he hadn't seen her in over four years, he still knew her well enough to know she was far from happy.

"I'm sorry for prying and that I offended you," he said. Ruka's eyes flickered around, not meeting his gaze. Seijuro could be very serious when he wanted to be.

"It's okay. You didn't know. I had no right to snap at you. I'm sorry for yelling, Sei-kun," she whispered. He grinned and pulled her into a hug. Ruka welcomed the warm embrace.

"Let's forget that ever happened," Ruka offered after they pulled apart. Her cousin nodded in agreement. He ruffled her short hair and gave a chuckle.

"You know now that I look at you, you kind of look like a boy," he mused. The blond wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"I don't look like a boy! Everyone knows I'm a girl back home," she protested and stomped her foot. Seijuro let out a loud laugh at her irritated expression.

"I'm just saying your hair was much longer back when you were younger. It's just different from what I remember."

Ruka pouted and touched her hair. She had gotten it cut short so that her bangs fell more to the left of her face and they barely grazed her eyebrows. Her hair reached a bit past the nape of her neck.

"I started getting this cut for swimming and it kind of became a habit. Is it that bad?" She vainly patted her hair in worry. Seijuro smiled fondly and patted her head.

"Nah, it looks good on you; you look cute. Anyways, I wanted to say bye. I have to return back to school tonight. You can come visit me whenever you want. We live close by the academy." Ruka nodded and gave him one last hug.

Seijuro left a few hours after that. Ruka watched as he walked down the street. His figure melted into the night. She sighed sadly and automatically wished her cousin would come back. She was alone and would have to go to a new school alone. Too bad Seijuro went to an all boys school.

-:-

Ruka woke up to the smell of breakfast. Her stomach rumbled loudly as she wandered aimlessly around her already messy room. Her foot caught onto something and she found herself sprawled on her back. The door to her room opened and Mr. Mikoshiba poked his head in.

"Are you okay, kiddo?"

"Peachy," came the grumpy reply.

The older man chuckled and left the girl to get ready for school. Ruka took a quick bath and towel dried her hair. Mrs. Mikoshiba had left her new school uniform on her bed while she was in the bath. Ruka made a face at the fact that she had to wear a uniform.

On the bed lay a brown skirt with a white button down. A light grey long sleeved jumper went over the shirt with a dark grey blazer and blue socks. Ruka had managed to get dressed, but stared at the red tie. She had no idea how to tie it into a bow. Grabbing the tie, she left her room with her school bag. Mrs. Mikoshiba had just placed a bowl of steaming rice porridge on the table.

"Morning, Auntie," she greeted.

The older woman turned and smiled. "Morning, Ruka. You look ready for school."

"Eh, almost. I, um, don't know how to put this on." She held the red tie out sheepishly. Her Aunt gladly helped her with the tie. Ruka smiled at the perfect bow before plopping down to eat. While she ate, her Uncle and Aunt told her how to get to school by taking the train.

Ruka finished breakfast and put her shoes on. She waved to the two as they watched her walk to the train stop. The blond swung her school bag as she waited. There weren't many people around. A young boy with his mother, most likely going to elementary school, kept staring at her.

While his mother was talking, the young boy sidled up to the taller girl. He stared at her openly with wide eyes. Ruka's eye twitched in annoyance as he kept staring. The child poked her leg and Ruka looked down.

"Are you a Yankee?" he inquired. Ruka had the urge to roll her eyes.

Squatting so she was mostly eye level, she said, "No I'm not. I'm just a student who wants to get good grades in school."

The boy made a face. "I don't like school. I wanna grow up and be a basketball player!"

"School is good for you. I go to school all the time and look how tall I grew. You can't be basketball player if you're short," she advised. A new fascination sparkled in his eyes.

"So, if I go to school, I'll be as tall as you?"

Ruka patted his head. "Yup. You may even be taller than me someday. Just stay in school and do your best." She quickly stood up as the train approached. Giving the child a wave, she boarded the train. She watched as the mother quickly pulled him into a different compartment of the train. He seemed to be telling his mother something.

A small smile formed on her face. "Adorable."

Ruka sat down and stared out the window. She watched the scenery pass by. The chattering of other students, all who wore the same or similar uniform as her, filled the train. Ruka sighed and wondered if she would have any friends.

The train stopped and she watched as a figure across from her, someone with a lime green backpack, got off. He wore the boy's version of her uniform. Another boy with wavy blond hair seemed to be talking, or trying to, as the backpack boy got off.

_Isn't the school at the next stop?_

She narrowed her eyes and watched as the dark blue haired boy started to run. Well that answered her question. Judging from the colored ties, they were in the same grade as she was. Perhaps they would be in her class. The blond boy was pressing his face up to the window, much to the annoyance of the girls sitting next to him, as he watched the other one run.

Once Ruka got to the school, she stood outside at the entrance. People passed by her, most did a double take at the tall, short haired girl. Ruka, eventually, wandered the halls until she found the school office. There a brown haired teacher pointed her to her homeroom and told her which classes she would be in.

The blond girl opened the door to her room and everyone turned to stare at the intruder. The homeroom teacher was already taking attendance. The man looked up from the attendance chart and gestured for her to come over.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh, I'm the new student and, um, yeah…" Ruka trailed off as she felt the stares of her fellow peers. She was used to it because of her height, but what Seijuro had said last night, about her looking like a boy, kept nagging her.

"Please introduce yourself to the class," the man said in a clear voice. Ruka turned to face the class and her eyes did a quick skim of the people. She didn't recognize any of them from the train ride.

"Hello, my name is Fujishiro Haruka, but I prefer to be called Ruka. I'm delighted to be here and hope we can all be friends," she finished in a cheery tone. The teacher directed her to sit in the only seat empty, which was in the back. She took her seat behind a girl with long burgundy hair.

"...Matsuoka Gou?"

"Here!" the girl in front of her answered. The teacher continued roll call. Ruka slumped forward in her seat and placed her head down. After attendance was called, the students chatted while they waited for class to start.

Ruka had closed her eyes for some sleep, when a voice interrupted her nap. "Hi, Ruka-chan." She cracked open one eye and stared at the girl who had turned in her seat to talk to her.

"Hello, um…"

"I'm Gou, but please call me Kou," she said. Ruka gave a faint smile.

_Maybe this won't be so bad?_

"Pleasure to meet you, Kou-chan. So, what do you do here?"

"Oh the usual. Go to class, eat lunch and do after school activities," she said and waved her hand nonchalantly.

Ruka brightened at the mention of after school activities. "Does the school have a good track team?"

"I think we're fairly good. You would have to talk to the coach, though. I'm sure you'll get in." Gou nodded toward her. The two girls chatted a bit about random things. Ruka found that Gou had a strange fascination with boy's muscles. The blond girl shared her stories about life at her old school.

"You could eat with me and my friends. We like to eat on the roof sometimes," Gou offered. Ruka readily accepted the invite. Though her expression was polite, Ruka was screaming in joy on the inside at making a friend and maybe some more.

-:-

As Gou had predicted, the track coach had took one look at her and quickly accepted her on the track team. Of course she would have to run the 400 meter track to prove she could keep her pace and still do decent time. The coach had asked her if she would do pole vaulting, but Ruka declined as she had never done it before.

She found herself watching the boys as they lined up to pole vault. A blue haired boy caught her eye. It was the same one that was on the train. She watched as he stretched his arms. He was well toned and built nicely. He stood there staring forward. Her eyes slid to the side and caught sight of Gou with three other boys. Gou seemed to be in a daze; Ruka snorted at the thought of her admiring the muscles of all the males. One boy, the blond, was another she recognized. He seemed to be staring intently at the blue haired one.

"Excuse me?" Ruka called out to one of the track boys.

One turned around. "Yes?"

"Who is that?" She pointed to the blue haired boy.

"That's Ryugazaki Rei. He's a first year with excellent form though he often seems to be analyzing everything," the boy said.

Ruka turned her attention back to Rei and watched as he readied himself. He seemed to be mumbling to himself. Then he ran forward. Her eyes widened as she watched him go over the bar. His form was, as the track boy had said, excellent. Rei sat up and seemed to be mumbling more to himself. Ruka couldn't help but wonder why he didn't look happy.

-:-

Ruka sighed as she walked to the train station. Her first day of school and she was exhausted. The coach had made her run, not once, but four times around track! She had made good time and the coach seemed happy. Ruka sighed as she trudged down the stairs to the waiting area for the train. She sat down and groaned. She really needed a nice hot soak in the tub for her sore leg muscles.

"I'm so out of shape," she grumbled. Ruka didn't notice the blond boy who had been sitting next to her before she had come. Nagisa glanced at the light blond and noted the red tie.

"Oh, you're from Iwatobi too?!" Ruka nearly jumped out of her seat except her legs protested. She turned and stared at the voice.

"Uh, yes. I'm new," she said with uncertainty. Why did she keep seeing the blond boy from the train all the time?

He smiled at her. "I'm Nagisa."

"You can call me Ruka. It's, um, nice to meet you." She smiled weakly. Her eyes went to the bag he was holding.

Pointing at the bag, she said, "What are those, if I may ask?"

Nagisa pulled out a keychain of a bird wearing a swimming speedo. "This is Iwatobi-chan. He's the swim team's mascot."

Ruka's eyes seemed to sparkle as her fingers twitched to take it. She had a strange fascination with collecting keychains with animals on them. No matter how ugly people thought the animal was, Ruka always found them adorable.

"C-can I have that, please?" She was almost salivating at the mouth. Nagisa handed it to her and Ruka stared in awe before hugging it to her chest. She let out an uncharacteristically high pitched squeal.

"So cute! You're going into my collection," she said to the bird. "Thanks you, Nagisa-kun!"

"Eh, no problem. I have plenty to give out," he said and rubbed the back of his head. He caught sight of Rei and immediately got up. Ruka was too busy admiring her new keychain to care or notice.

"You're just so adorable, Mr. Iwatobi-chan. You'll be very happy next to Peppy Panda," Ruka mumbled to the keychain before placing it in her bag. She quickly got up and went out to the train tracks.

"It defies reason!" Ruka blinked as she saw the blue haired boy make some dramatic pose. Then he started babbling about velocity. Nagisa stared at him with his mouth open. Just as Ruka made it next to them the train came.

Ruka brushed by Rei while mumbling, "Weirdo."

* * *

**Says the one who collects animal keychains and talks to them. **

**Update times are not really set as I just wanted to get this out before I forgot why I wrote this. So expect some time before a next update. Please review and let me know what you think and any suggestions on how to improve.**

**Kitkat**


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